Page 36 of Heart of a Villain

He stood, stretching his arms above his head, and then went to one of the spare bathrooms to shower and freshen up. As he brushed his teeth, he found himself smiling in the bathroom mirror, envisioning Sayeda folding his clothes and neatly tucking them inside the duffel bag. In an alternate universe, Sayeda was already his wife and had been for some time. While he wrangled the kids, she packed his suitcase for a business trip, and he was already counting down the days until he would be back home.

With everything he’d already experienced, he had to have a guardian angel—an exhausted but effective one, nonetheless. One day, he hoped it showed itself so that he could thank it, profusely, for bringing his girl back to him.

Getting ready took a little over an hour, yet neither Joel nor Ayesha had resurfaced. Although the guys had all been more than cordial, their families welcoming, he’d been using Joel and Ayesha as the bridge that connected him to them. Going to the patio without them opened up a cavern of uncertainty, but the words, “Don’t make me have to tell you again,” floated down the long upstairs hallway, which meant Joel and Ayesha wouldn’t show up anytime soon.

So, alone he went.

Defenseless.

Surprisingly, even Thanasis was present that morning instead of somewhere with Wren hitched to a bedpost, naked and with her ankles touching her ears. Interestingly enough, all the guys—as well as him—were dressed as if they were getting ready to either go to the gym or participate in some sort of race or marathon.

But he would dwell on why that was later. Sayeda was standing less than twenty feet away from him in front of a long table whose surface was covered in food.

As he approached, he spotted hearty spinach omelets, rows of whole wheat toast, thick breakfast sausages, and a colorful collection of fresh fruit. If this was how this team regularly ate, while overlooking the peace of the large body of water surrounding the property, he could see why worrying about Central didn’t dominate the brunt of their thoughts.

He stood behind her, planted his arms on the table on either side of her body, and lowered his mouth to her ear.

“Olà, querida.”

She turned her head, placing her mouth inches from his. “Olà. Good morning. You look nice.”

“You picked out my clothes, remember?” His lips brushed her cheek. “But I see someone has grown more comfortable with me since yesterday. I’m glad. It will make our relationship go smoother.”

“Relationship?”

“Yes. We never broke things off. Technically, that means we’re still together.”

“Does that mean you cheated on me when you fell for someone else?”

“We…were on a break.” With a grin, he kissed her cheek a second time and wrapped his arms around her. “Now, did you sleep well?”

“So possessive this morning,” she teased. “And eventually, yeah. Me and Eesh stayed up talking for a while.”

“What do you think about her?”

“I adore her.”

“And me?”

“I think you adore her, too.”

He nudged her from behind.

While she continued to carry the grim aura, this morning, she looked refreshed. She’d slipped into a white crop top and leggings, and her hair was covered by a colorful scarf that beautifully complemented her complexion. Seeing the scarf brought back memories, and he took a step back before those memories made their way south.

“You smell good, querida. Like chocolate and…” A familiar aroma wove its way up into his nostrils. “Where are they?”

“Where are what?”

“Don’t toy with me.” He pressed against her, using his hunger to keep his body in check. “Sayeda, give them to me.”

“You mean,” she pointed, “those?”

A collection of truffles, all tucked inside multicolored foil cups, peeked from between a bowl of mixed berries and a bunch of ripe, unbruised bananas.

Brigadeiros.

“I made everything you see here,” she said. “I figured it’s the least I could do. Everyone’s been so kind and hospitable.”

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